"fall guy, victim of a deception," 1903, of unknown origin, possibly an alteration of It. pazzo "madman" (see patch (2)), or south It. dial. paccio "fool." Another theory traces it to Patsy Bolivar, character in an 1880s minstrel skit who was blamed whenever anything went wrong.
n. a victim of a scam. (Underworld. See also dupe.) : That guy over there looks like a perfect patsy.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
The plotters try to eliminate their patsy on the spot.
It consists of trying to prove you are savvier than everybody else, that above all you are nobody's patsy.